Cameroon matches ‘announcement of longing for participation’ of viewers
Don’t even give me a chance to run
Bento “It’s a matter of choice, not a matter of skill”
“I will become a player worthy of the support”
In the evaluation match between Korea and Cameroon held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 27th, a rare scene that has never been seen before was produced. Fans cheered the player sitting on the bench, shouting their names, while boos poured in on the coach leading the team.
The main character who drew this scene was Kang-in Lee (21, Mallorca). The cheers that Kang-in Lee received on this day were none other than Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who is the most popular in the national team. Nevertheless, Bento finally turned his attention to Kang-in Lee. When Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), who was used as a replacement card in the second half, was unable to play due to a sudden injury, fans chanted Lee Kang-in’s name and expressed their expectations, but coach Bento appointed Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk ) and Lee Kang-in did not choose. .
When Lee Kang-in, who had received cheers from fans whenever he was seen on the electronic board in the middle of the game, was unable to enter the game, the fans were also furious. When Bento was caught on the billboard, boos poured out as if it was an expression of displeasure with Lee Kang-in not letting him go.
After the match, Bento’s words about Lee Kang-in were not easy to understand. In a slightly irritated tone, coach Bento said, “He’s still talking about the individual players rather than the team. It is not easy to get every player involved. I analyzed which player was needed during the game, and decided that I needed an option other than Lee Kang-in. It was a tactical part.” Then, as the fans called out Lee Kang-in’s name, he said, “I have two ears, so I have no choice but to listen. heard well I believe that the fans love Lee Kang-in and have called his name with good feelings. I think it will be good,” he said.
What was the reason Bento completely ignored Lee Kang-in? When asked, ‘What should Lee Kang-in do more?’, Bento said, “It was a matter of choice, not a matter of development.” It means I couldn’t choose from a tactical level, not a skill level.
In fact, in these two evaluation games, the part that Bento had to pay the most attention to was the defense. As we cannot play possession football against strong teams like Portugal and Uruguay who we will meet in the World Cup finals, we paid attention to prepare for this. With the exception of Kim Min-jae (Napoli) and Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk), the faces of one central defense and the right-back have changed. Defensive midfielders were also tested using other tactics of having one or two players. Compared to the defense, there was little room for change on the offensive side. Jung Woo-Young (Freiburg), selected by Bento in the game against Cameroon, was more or less second-highest under Son Heung-Min, and he applied constant pressure from the front line based on his vigorous activity .This style is the most preferred by Bento. Kang-in Lee, who is good at creative play, is far from the style Bento prefers.
Appointing players is the manager’s prerogative, so it needs to be respected. Nevertheless, it is a disappointment not to give even a minute to a player who has been recognized in Europe and has flown for almost 20 hours. Kim Dae-gil, a commentator for the Kyunghyang Shinmun, said, “If I could write Jung Woo-young, I wonder if Lee Kang-in could write him too.”
The captain of the national team, Son Heung-min, began to evolve with the team and Lee Kang-in. After the match, Son Heung-min met with reporters in the mixed zone (common coverage area) and said, “(Lee) Kang-in is a very good player and has talent, but the national team is not for just one person. The coach must have had an idea too,” he said, adding, “I was also playing in the Bundesliga at Kangin’s age, but I couldn’t play in the national team every time, so I had to many minds for wanting to do that. play. I hope Kangin can grow and develop into a good player through this part.”
The fortunate thing is that Lee Kang-in erased his regrets and came back with a strong image. As Lee Kang-in left the mix zone, he said, “It’s a shame that I want to play, but it’s something I can’t choose. I will go back to my team and work hard again.” Kang-in Lee later said through his social networking service (SNS), “I was very moved by the number of people calling me at my name in the stadium. I will do my best to become a player worthy of that shout and support. Thank you very much.”
